After great effort. My first novel, Leaving The Light On, was rejected 16 times before Gollancz took it on. It then immediately won a pre-publication British Book Awards prize and went on to do very well. Just shows you've got to have faith.

What inspired you to pursue writing as a career in the first place?

Inspiration is the wrong word! In 1985, after a general anaesthetic for a minor op, I started dreaming and writing obsessionally. It seemed to have opened a creative door in my mind. After a year I realized that I had to try to get published, to justifying the amount of time I was spending scribbling. Unfortunately prose writing, unlike, say, water painting or photography, isn't really something you can do as a hobby. Of course I was crap to begin with, because I'd never done it before and had just been writing for myself, so it took me three years to get my first short story published and five years before Leaving The Light On was published. I ditched two novels on the way.

Could you tell us a little of your writing process, any habits or rituals, and how it integrates into the rest of your family and professional life?

To me novel writing is an imaginative and not an intellectual process. So I spend a lot of time dreaming and making notes before I write anything on the computer. Luckily you can dream practically anywhere, though it does make you seem deaf! (My family are very tolerant.) Short stories are sometimes more ideas-based. You can get away with stuff in short stories - whimsy, heavy irony, magic - that would be unsustainable in a full-length work. When I'm working on my own writing, mornings are for solid graft, afternoons for walking/dreaming and chores, and evenings (especially after a glass or two) for new ideas.

What qualities do you think a writer needs?

A published writer? A modicum of talent, and after that, iron-willed persistence and huge self-confidence, whether justified or not. If you want to write straight contemporary fiction, which is the toughest market to get into, it really does help if you have something very unusual to say. You have to give them a 'hook' to sell you on. Genre fiction isn't quite so difficult.

What books do you enjoy reading, and which writers do you most admire? Which book have you reread most often?

I used to read absolutely anything, but one of the downsides of writing yourself (and teaching) is that you become more critical, and also have less time for books of choice. As well as fiction I love books about the human condition, evolution and development. Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs And Steel and Matt Ridley's Genome are current favourites. Do you know that you can switch on 'happy' genes just by forcing yourself to smile? Favourite fiction authors, from adolescence to the present, have varied from Tolkein to MrsGaskell, Raymond Chandler and Ed Mcbain to Simon Raven and John Fowles. The last authors I had 'jags' on (rather than just reading one of their books) were John Irving and Alison Lurie. The only book I've ever read twice (apart from books read to my children and in the line of duty) is John Irving's The World According To Garp, when I had flu and no new books in the house.

Do you find that teaching others creative writing aids or interferes with your own writing?

It helps in that it provides like-minded contacts, exposes you to writing you'd never read normally and(helps) pay the bills. It interferes only in that it takes up time and a small amount of creative energy. I teach only very part time.

Do you think living in Wales has affected how you write, and if so, how?

I am English-born but have lived in SE Wales all my adult life (27 years). When I am in England I know my loyalty is to my corner of Wales, and when I'm in Wales I'm aware that I'm English. I make the distinction between nationality and 'home'. I think living in no man's land is quite a good place for a writer. You can see in both directions.

What do you perceive as your major influences and/or inspirations?

My parents, who as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, instilled in me the belief that human beings were extraordinary and their behaviour fascinating. Apart from that, different novels have been inspired by different interests. The themes of Leaving The Light On (domestic power relationships) and Fatal Observations (violence) both owe debt to my eleven years as a Woman's Aid Volunteer; Broken Glass is I suppose a homage to a woman friend of mine who died of breast cancer. But I only see these things afterwards; at the time I just write about what images and narratives are obsessing me.

Do you think it is (still) difficult for women to be taken seriously as writers in the 21st century? Have you ever been tempted to use a male pseudonym?

I think there are still problems for women. You have to ask the question: why will women read books written by men, when men (largely) will not read books written by women? It suggests, ultimately, that women are much more interested in male experiences than men are in women's. Of course this has implications for how women writers are judged. However, in terms of making a career from fiction writing, it's luckily not the problem it could be, because women buy and read more novels than men. I've never been tempted to use a male pseudonym, but I have occasionally regretted not using a unisex name, like AL Kennedy, or Pat Barker.

You're going to be a judge for the Rhys Davies short story competition. Can you say anything about how you will approach the task?

With enthusiasm! I love judging open competitions. I think I'm always hoping that I'm going to discover anew writer, and give them their first break. To competitors I'd say, go for it, send in your most adventurous, ambitious stuff. Anything to make you stand out from the crowd.

Finally, can you tell us about your future plans? (Any future publications, appearances, courses, etc.)

I've just finished a load of short stories for Honno, who are thinking of putting together another collection for me. Assuming all goes well it should be out next year. I'll be tutoring a Ty Newydd fiction course with Stevie Davies next October. And I've recently finished a novel about Valley's bikers, dyslexia and sibling conflict.

Thank you, Catherine!

Interview by Kim Vertue